353 NEW CHURCHES. S. Mary Magdalene, Munster Square, London.-Our readers will remember the first stone of this church being laid in July, 1849. Unforeseen difficulties have retarded its progress, the foundations requiring far more labour and expense (owing to the circumstances of the site) than had been expected. The church however will now begin to rise, we hope, so soon as the weather will permit. Mr. Carpenter, its architect, has enriched the present number with a view of the proposed building, in its finished state; an offer which we have willingly accepted, not only because we think highly of the design, but also in order to do justice to its merits as a whole, since (as we regret to find) it is not proposed at present to build either the north aisle or the tower and spire. It may reasonably (we think) be doubted whether it is the most judicious plan to build very large churches in neighbourhoods like this, where we may hope, as Church principles go on reviving, to see the subdivision of parochial districts further and further carried out. A more moderately sized church would most probably have answered every present purpose, and not have been found unwieldy in an age of greater church accommodation. It must often strike observers that a time, as is fully to be hoped, may come, when some of our more huge parish-churches will be found very unnecessarily large for the limited population of a district reduced within such limits as a single priest may efficiently take charge of. Had the founders of S. Mary Magdalene been content with a smaller church, they might at once have finished the fabric, instead of leaving anything so imperfect as the part it is now proposed to raise in the first instance. We can testify further that the present design, even as completed, is of necessity inferior considered as a work of art, to the very beautiful plan conceived by the architect according to the original data,-for a small church, furnished to him in the first instance. The illustration on the opposite page will most vividly introduce the design to our readers. The full plan consists of a chancel, 32 ft. 6 in. long, by 23 ft. 6 in. broad; nave 79 ft. 6 in. long by 26 ft. broad, aisles to the nave, that on the south side 21 ft. 6 in. broad, and aisles to the chancels, that on the south not extending to the east end, but opening into a sacristy, (with a low gabled roof, transverse to the axis of the church,) occupying the angle between the chancel and its southern aisle. Besides, a noble tower and spire, are hereafter to be added at the south-west of the south aisle, the tower forming a porch, and the chief entrance from Osnaburg Street. The style, we need scarcely say, is Middle-Pointed, of exceedingly good, but not very enriched character. The mouldings are ample and accurate throughout. The east end displays three very noble windows; the chancel one of six lights with tracery containing a large circle, which is filled up with five quatrefoils. We incline to advise the omission of this filling up; the circle merely foliated would offer a fine field for stained glass. The east windows of the aisles are of five lights with tracery; that on the south is stopped off by the roof of the sacristy. The side windows will be of three lights, with circles in the heads variously filled with geometrical figures. The western façade is the most dignified, comprising (when completed) three separate, and nearly equal gables; and flanked, though a little recessed, at its south extremity by the tower. The projecting angle of the south aisle, where the tower recedes, is decorated in exceedingly good taste, with a statued niche. The great west window is of five lights, while the subsidiary windows in the aisles are of four. The tower will be distinguished for a noble basement moulding quite rivalling an ancient example. In its west face will be the chief door, cinq-foliated, and with a canopy over it. Above, rise two well proportioned stages, treated with great dignity and simplicity, and the belfry stage (rising clear far above the level of the cresting of the nave roof) is beautifully enriched with two similar adjacent two-light windows on each face. The spire is broached, and very lofty ;-octagonal, with three ranges of spire lights on the cardinal faces. The interior will be very satisfactory, we expect, the arcades being excellently proportioned; the arches of two orders, the columns clustered of four, with fillets on each, and with good capitals, far better indeed than the bases. The latter would doubtless be improved, if the architect might be allowed to substitute moveable benches for the rather unworthy fixed seats, of a late character, with buttresses &c., on a wooden platform, that deform the area as represented in the ground plan which we are examining. A church of this scale and dignity demands (we think) a fully developed chancel arch; here, probably through no fault of the architect, the chancel arch is corbelled off, without any of those justificatory reasons that may be urged for similar ancient examples. The screen is to be of stone, low and coped; the stalls, only five in number on each side, insufficient surely for even such a voluntary choir as every parish may be expected to form, are not returned. The arch from the chancel into its south aisle might be made more commanding with advantage; this chancel aisle is of a raised level, and holds the schools; from it is a slight descent to the sacristy above noticed. The subsellæ, we forgot to say, are to have desks resting on iron stems, as in the mother church of Christ Church S. Pancras; surely too classical in type for safe imitation in S. Mary Magdalene. We shall watch with interest the progress of this remarkable church. S. Watermore, Cirencester. We can only criticise this church, of which Mr. G. G. Scott is the architect, from a north-west view. It seems to consist of tolerably well developed chancel, nave, north aisle, and north sacristy: with north porch, and western tower. The chancel is First-Pointed, with an eastern triplet; and two double pedimented buttresses at the angles. The north of the chancel has one couplet, high up in the wall. The sacristy is very bad: a mere lateral chapel, with eastern door, and above it an ugly circular window, containing three quatrefoils. The north windows are of two lights, without foliations, but with quatrefoils in the head. In the porch the architect repeats his usual type. There is a kind of sancte bell-cot, of which we know not the use. The tower is very ambitious; the spire has two sets of spire-lights, each surmounted with a cross, and is broached. The belfry windows are two on each side, each of two unfoliated lights, with an unfoliated circle in the head. On the whole, this is a very common-place church, and the sacristy, its chief feature, considerably worse. S. John, Anderston, Glasgow.-Mr. Henderson, the architect of Holy Trinity College, Glenalmond, has but feebly seconded the efforts of the founders of the above church. His design is exceedingly bad. A broad First-Pointed nave with couplets of lancets, divided by buttresses of a later type, and a north-west portal, (not a porch,) under a canopied gable, has a thin tower very awkwardly engaged at the north-west angle. The tower is of the meanest kind, surmounted by an octagonal broached spire, having two tiers cf gabled spire-lights on the cardinal faces, and pyramidal pinnacles on the haunches at the angles, most unusually and ineffectively growing out of gabled spire-lights, which cut into the angles of the broach. We never saw anything much more clumsy. There is no chancel, properly so called, at all: and we hear that the incumbent, having formed a choir, is at his wits' end to know how and where to seat them. All that the architect provides, is an apsidal sanctuary, with five ugly trefoiled lancets, one on each face of the exterior pentagon. We trust that in the arrangement of this sanctuary for the double purpose of sanctuary and choir,-unsatisfactory as it must at best be good advice will be taken. The lithograph sketch, taken from the north-east, from which we are reviewing, shows an apsidal (!) vestry, we presume,southward of the sanctuary apse. We deplore much so retrograde a design. NEW SCHOOLS. Tunbridge Wells.-We have seen a lithograph of the parochial schools of this place, by Mr. E. N. Stevens. They are of exceedingly indifferent and common-place Third-Pointed, with many glaring faults. West Hatch, Somerset.-Mr. Giles has succeeded much better in a school and master's house for this village. They adjoin the churchyard. CHURCH RESTORATIONS. S. Morwenna, Morwenstow, Cornwall.-In the south porch alone of this church are some curious Romanesque remains; the rest of the church is Middle-Pointed. The high pews within the fabric have been removed, and the chancel has been thoroughly restored. At the east end is a good Middle-Pointed window, of three lights, which has been filled with stained glass. In the centre is S. Morwenna teaching a princess to read, on the right a figure of S. Peter, and on the left one of S. Paul. In the tracery lights are small panels, wreathed in foliage, containing a number of the monograms and symbols, the too common use of which we condemned in our last number. This window is by Mr. Warrington, who, in an inscription at the base, commemorating the donors, Lord and Lady Clinton, adds that it was executed, "cura W. Londinensis, A.D. 1849." S. Ives, Cornwall.-Within the last few years this church has undergone considerable improvement. A gallery extending along the west end has been curtailed. The font has been moved near the south porch. The arch of the porch, which was formerly tarred, has been cleaned. The same has been done to the outside of the tower door. The oak roof which had been white-washed, has been cleaned. Some of the bosses are of very beautiful design, and on each side of the nave is a row of saints and apostles bearing in their hands shields, scrolls, &c. A new pulpit has also been made out of some old oak formerly lying about the church. The restoration of the oak benches is contemplated. A great number of the ancient ones remain, beautifully carved, and in a good state of preservation. The windows of this church have been dreadfully mutilated, round-headed sash ones having been introduced in almost every instance. The restoration of three of the windows, in the part of the church called the Trenwith aisle, has been commenced. The eastern one is to be filled with stained glass. An ancient cross has been dug up outside the church, and has been erected in the church-yard. It has a figure of the Blessed Virgin holding the Holy Babe, with kneeling figures on each side. S. Uny, Lelant, Cornwall.-The windows on the south side of this church have been cleaned within and without, and filled with diamondshaped quarries. Four new windows, of two lights each, have been inserted in the north side, and there are new windows at the west end of the north aisle and tower. Four pinnacles have been replaced on the tower. The pillars and arches of the interior have been scraped from whitewash, and two or three of the capitals thus brought to light are very good. One Romanesque arch, pillar, and respond have also been cleaned. There is a new font also of fair design, but very absurdly, a small stone bason within it is still used at baptisms. The new east window consists of three lights, with very good tracery. In the middle light is the figure of S. Peter, and, in the other lights, on each side are figures of S. James and S. John. In the tracery-lights are two angels, holding a scroll, containing the words;-"Glory to GoD in the highest," &c. In the smaller tracery lights are (as usual) every kind of symbols. The east window of the south aisle is of four lights and filled with stained glass. It is divided into diamond-shaped panes, interspersed with small medallions. The east window of the north aisle is cleaned from whitewash, and has also been filled with stained glass. A stone cross has been erected in the churchyard, by the vicar, in memory of an aged domestic. S. Ouen, Rouen.-The important addition, which has for some years been in progress at this noble church, is now approaching completion. The western façade will henceforth comprise flanking towers and spires, inferior, probably, to what they would have been, had their |